A New Promise
by corxavis
Summary: On a very important day, Naruto has disappeared, and Sakura is desperate to find him. She soon realizes that he's troubled by something and takes it upon herself to comfort him. This one-shot is set after the war and is based on an alternate progression of events in canon. Warnings: angst, some very minor cursing, and mention[s] of death. Pairing: NaruSaku.


**AUTHOR NOTE: This is a little something that I wrote last year before ****_Naruto _****ended. I published it around the time that Obito was killed in battle (which I reference in this story, actually). If you're interested, you can find it on my Tumblr account, as well. Obviously, things went down differently in canon, and I'm not here to discuss or challenge what actually happened. This is merely what I wanted to see occur in the story when I was following it, and I decided to express it in a way that doubled as a fun writing exercise for me. I should also add that this was the first fanfiction that I've written in years, as well as the first one I've ever published.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own _Naruto_, nor do I claim to do so or to have any affiliation with it. Credit for the cover image goes to LadyGT****.**

* * *

Sakura squinted through the pink tendrils that flickered into her vision and strained her ear to hear over air rushing past it and the pattering sound her feet made against the roof tiles. With each step she took, her lungs began to burn more and more, and she felt a tiny rivulet of sweat beginning to trail down the back of her neck, which was quickly absorbed by the collar of her dress. Her hands unconsciously went down to the hem of her dress, yet again, lest what was more than desired should be revealed in her sprint.

Another groan escaped through her barely parted lips with the pants that came out of her mouth. Damn him for making her furiously chase him like this for the past half hour! An S-rank mission would've been a much simpler task than this.

Several minutes later, Sakura arrived at the edge of the roof of the last building of the road. She huffed, effectively sending a stray strand of her bang back to its carefully orchestrated position at the side of her face, and crossed her arms. Where could that idiot have run off to at a time like this?

Sakura gently bit on her lower lip as she reconsidered every possibility. His apartment had clearly been vacant since the morning, as a cursory peek through the window, which had only shown a freshly made bed and recently cleaned kitchen, had confirmed. The lack of any sign of life at the Academy, save the occasional chirping of birds fluttering by, had rendered the possibility of him being there null. Ichiraku's restaurant had clearly been closed, in honor of today. If only she had accepted Kiba's offer to help her. Where else could he possibly be?

Sakura's eyes suddenly widened. Of course! Out of all places, it was the likeliest place that he could be! Upon inhaling deeply through her nostrils, she began running in the opposite direction.

* * *

In a matter of minutes, Sakura arrived at the very familiar clearing. A black figure with a spiky halo rose at the opposite end of the vast green expanse in which she found herself and stood in relief against a giant slab of stone. So she had been correct!

She quickly began to approach her target. As he increased in size, Sakura noticed that his head was lowered and that his back was slightly slouched. Her brow furrowed and eyes slightly enlarged, and she began to slow her gait. What could have drawn him here at a time like this?

When the space between them was reduced to a few mere steps between them, Sakura decided to announce her presence.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Blond locks swayed as its owner's head snapped up. Naruto spun around to see who had approached him.

"Sakura-chan!"

Naruto's smile didn't stretch from ear to ear or reveal his teeth, as it normally did. His blue orbs were rather dull and lacked their usual brightness and mirth. He turned around to face the memorial stone, once again.

"Naruto, what are you doing here? We're all supposed to be at the cemetery right now for the memorial service for our fallen shinobi."

When she saw that Naruto failed to respond to her, Sakura walked up to Naruto's side to have a better view of him. His eyes were hooded by his bangs, and his hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Sakura's brows were furrowed, and her eyes slightly widened with concern. She struggled to keep her arms from grasping him, which resulted in them being elevated in front of her chest in a very awkward stance that made it seem as though she were backing away from an invisible threat.

"Naruto, is everything alright?"

Naruto slightly grunted, and Sakura could have sworn that he had just slightly ground his teeth. With all thoughts of propriety and personal space having immediately left her, Sakura quickly closed the gap between her and Naruto. She wrapped her left arm around his shoulders, which required some effort on her part, due to the growing difference in their heights and the fact that his shoulders had become much broader, and slid her right hand into his, which was now bandaged to conceal the mark that the Sage of the Six Paths had bestowed upon him. She leaned her forehead against his right shoulder and gently squeezed his hand.

Despite initially tensing at the unexpected contact, Naruto showed no other reaction. He simply continued to stand still.

"Naruto," Sakura whispered.

"I don't get it. I just don't get it," was the response Sakura finally received after several more seconds, although the thick atmosphere made it feel as though minutes had elapsed.

Sakura remained quiet. Pushing him to speak would accomplish nothing beyond flustering him, so it was best to let him to find the best way for him to string his thoughts together, no matter how much time it would take She simply squeezed his hand and shoulders once more.

"People are crying over everyone who died, but they don't care what he went through. They don't care that it's because of everything that happened to him that he was pushed to do what he did." Naruto's shoulders began to shake, and his voice began to quiver. "I hate seeing that everyone died, but, if only his life had been better, he wouldn't have had to walk in the darkness and ruin everyone's lives, including his own."

Sakura slowly lifted her head from its position at his shoulder and looked up. As she had suspected, tears were starting to stream down his face, and his sobs were becoming more audible.

"He was alone, and he had to die alone, hated by everyone." He finally choked out after a few seconds of silence.

Sakura felt a stinging sensation behind her eyes and forced herself to take a steadying breath. She had to be strong for him right now.

"You know," she began. Naruto's head snapped to his right to look at the now teary jade orbs looking up at him. His jaw had slightly dropped, since he was clearly surprised to see her crying. "I hated him, at first. I couldn't forgive him for killing off many of our comrades and friends, especially Neji-san, and I am still hurt about how he helped destroy your and Sasuke-kun's families."

Sakura was certain that she had seen something pained flash through Naruto's eyes, even though they were now full with tears. "But after seeing how passionate he was to rescue you and Sasuke-kun, I have become most grateful to him. We're all together now, because of him, because he wanted to make up for what he did help us save our world. And, for that, I will always be indebted to him."

Naruto gave a small chuckle along with a sob.

"Sakura-chan, you really ARE kind. Thank you."

Sakura couldn't stop the small smile that spread on her face, in response, and quickly shook her head, before moving to rest it against his shoulder, once again. However, before she could land on her target, Sakura was unexpectedly stopped. Naruto gently removed his hand from hers, quickly looped it around her shoulder, and pulled her into his chest. His left arm soon followed and circled around her.

Sakura couldn't stop the heat that rushed to her face, and she was certain that her face was now pink for reasons other than her tears. Her hands went up to clutch his black funeral jacket, and she gently leaned her forehead against his chest.

"Obito started off with nothing and died being hated by everyone, after losing everything he had gained," Naruto continued, his voice began to shake, once more. "And that will always hurt. I'll never be able to understand how life can be unfair to some people. I just wish there were a way that I could have saved his life. I'll never be able to forgive myself for that"

Sakura slowly moved her arms around Naruto and squeezed him close to her. If only she could do something to take away the pain, beyond answering him with nods of her head. She couldn't do much, but she could show him that she understood and shared his pain. She would simply try to be by his side, hoping that it would dull the pain in his heart.

"I'm afraid, you know," Naruto spoke up after a few minutes of silence.

Sakura's head jerked up, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. Where had this come from?

"Obito and I had the same childhood and the same pain. I was so close to going down the same path that he had, when I think about how angry and hurt I was. I'm afraid that I'll just lose everything and everyone- our village, our friends, our team, you. It's all so fragile. I don't want to be alone again."

Sakura's arms slowly moved up and wrapped around Naruto's neck. He was so strong and brave, so it wasn't often that his pain would be completely exposed to her, that he would be so open, so vulnerable. She felt a pang in the pit of her stomach looking into his eyes. He was so scared and seemed several years younger, like he was a child in the Academy, once again.

Sakura rose on her toes, as she tightened their embrace. Yes, all he needed right now was to feel that someone was there for him, and, if she could ease the pain in his heart, she was more than happy to oblige.

"Naruto, you don't have to worry. I'll always be by your side, and I'll never stop protecting you, just like you've always been there for me." Sakura could barely hear her voice come out. It felt as though someone else were speaking.

Naruto's arms tightened around her once again.

"I promised Obito that I would become Hokage, that I would allow his dream to come true, and I swear that I'll try my damnedest to make it happen." Naruto choked out. His voice was tight, although his sobs had subsided. "Even if it costs my life, I promise I'll protect everyone and our village. I promise I'll change everything, so that what happened to Obito and even to me and Sasuke will never happen again. I'll change our world and will never let anyone suffer again"

Sakura took a deep breath and looked up again at Naruto. His eyes had become red and puffy, and his eyes were still dull, despite the glimmer that his tears had left in them. However, he had stopped crying. Naruto slowly moved up a hand to wipe away the tears that were still streaming down her face, a gentle act which she returned with a soft smile.

"I have faith in you. I'm sure you can do it," she whispered. "And I'll always be by your side, cheering for you, no matter what."

Naruto squeezed her very tightly to him, once again. Sakura was certain that she would soon run out of air, but she said nothing, lest she should destroy the moment they were sharing. She simply held him tighter to her, content to be in his arms like this. Despite the sadness and the lump that was still present in her throat, all her muscles had relaxed, and her tears started to come out with slower frequency.

After several more minutes of standing there in their tight and intimate embrace, Sakura decided to speak.

"I think we should get going. Everyone is probably wondering where we've gone off to. Besides, I'm sure you want to pay your final respects to everyone, as much as it hurts, right?"

Naruto sighed.

"You're right. Let's get going."

They slowly broke their hug and stood, simply facing one another without breaking eye contact.

Sakura turned around to face the memorial stone and slowly approached it. She carefully knelt in front of it, such that nothing was exposed, and bowed her head.

"Obito, thank you for all your help and for bringing us together again," she slowly began. She took a deep breath, trying to prevent any further tears from pouring. "I promise I'll do my best in everything and that I'll always support Naruto and all our friends. Thank you for having faith in all of us. Please, give us your protection."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said. She could imagine that his jaw was wide open with this.

Sakura slowly rose and turned around to look at her companion, and her surmise was confirmed correct. If this were a manga spread in the magazines they liked to read, his lower jaw would've been resting on the ground.

"Well, then, shall we get going?" She extended her right hand to Naruto and smiled at him.

"Yeah." A smile, which was closer to his cheery and more genuine smiles, slowly stretched across his face, and he clasped her proffered hand in his left hand. "Let's go."

As they started walking away, their fingers gently intertwined, and they softly squeezed each other's hands in a silent display of support. Yes, as long as they were together to support one another, everything would be okay.

At the edge of the clearing, Naruto and Sakura stopped, and they both turned around to have a final look at the stone to express the thought that they both shared.

_Thank you for everything._


End file.
